Omar Oakes
May 22, 2017

Australian Jeff Goldblum ads branded 'second-hand' by UK agency

Ads starring Jeff Goldblum for an Australian food delivery service have attracted scorn from Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO because they "imitate" a recent Currys PC World campaign featuring the same actor.

Australian Jeff Goldblum ads branded 'second-hand' by UK agency

Menulog’s "Less talk more eat" spots, created by Y&R Sydney, show Goldblum giving advice to a woman who is trying to help her heartbroken friend. 

In another ad from the same campaign, Goldblum helps a man to order food while his friends are watching TV. 

The ads end with Goldblum advising his mentees to have "less talk" and "more eat" by ordering food in moments where silence is needed.

The 30-second ads are reminiscent of Goldblum’s performance in Currys PC World’s "Spare the act" Christmas campaign in 2015, in which the Jurassic Park star gave acting tips to people receiving gifts.

Ian Pearman, chief executive of AMV BBDO, said: "Well I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but if Menulog like this kind of work, perhaps they'd like to get it fresh from us rather than second-hand from their current agency."

However, Sasha Firth, managing director of Y&R Sydney, said the ad was written to be consistent with Goldblum's character and "nothing more".

Firth said: "One of the reasons we picked Jeff Goldblum is that he has a powerful persona that shines through in all his performances in films and commercials. That is true of his work for Menulog, Curry’s, Apartments.com and other spots he has filmed.

"In doing this work, we were clearly fans of Jeff Goldblum, and wrote to be consistent with his 'character' and strengths, nothing more."

Source:
Campaign UK

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